Right - all you closet intellectuals...

[SeaVisionBurma]

BUMPING MY OWN POST> Persons with 3 names beginning in anything silly like "Python" need not post here.

My avatar is not just for show - I am an island bound soul running a large-ish aquaculture project for a mob off the coast of southern Myanmar.

In my 4 month runs on the island I tend to chew few a fair amount of reading materials.  Given the variety of backgrounds of posters, I want to hit you all up for decent book suggestions:  

My interests:

Travel Books,   Paul Theroux style NOT Lonely HIPPIE Guide books.  Cynical and witty.

South East Asian History,   including auto/biographical accounts and anecdotal writings;

I'll start the ball rolling:  I picked up the latest revised edition of "A SHORT HISTORY OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA", edited by Peter Church, published by WILEY.

Good, informative blow-by-blow history up to modern times of each country in SE Asia.  Any of you who move between countries, or do business, and wish to understand your hosts better - this is for you.  Satisfies anyone who wishes to further their general knowledge on SE Asian countries.

Other book suggestions please?

[phazey]

On an island, no real company.....no chicks....hmm, it's a tough one.

1) Big Ones International

2) Fiesta

3) Busted

4) Spank

5) Big 'n' Bouncy

On a serious note, perhaps you should peruse

Project Gutenberg and it's wealth of online texts (if you can stand reading from a screen, or printing them out...) I recommend you read Orwells Burmese Days - I'm sure you will immedietly relate to thise novel as i did...

./P

[taxexile]

THE ART OF TRAVEL.ALAIN DE BOTTON. penguin books.

          ISBN 0-140-27662-9

this book tries to explain why people move away from the known and comfortable to the unknown.its a good read.

[Guest IT Manager]

I can relate to reading in a big way. We go through 2-3 novels a week in my house. Some light adventure for the boys, some spy genre adn adventure for me adn all sorts of stuff for my wife, relating to her doctoral studies. Last night a friend mentioned e-books to me and I had a hunt around.

Tonight I am beginning the first of the 5 volumes of Les Miserable which I haven't read though I have seen the film.

They were free. They are easy to manage though I am going to use the voice option becasue my back is being a problem. Quite an excellent idea and worth investigation. For somewhat less esoteric reading, ASSTR.org has another style of interesting reading which may (or may not) appeal to transient moments in our daily strivings.

IT Manger

[Nat]

Hey SeaVisionBurma to be honest the books that you're interested aren't my cup of tea - but you asked for suggestions so these books are great for wasting away a few days:

1984 - George Orwell

War & Peace / Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

and you should never leave home without Bridget Jone's Diary (just joking   )

Nat

[SeaVisionBurma]

to be honest the books that you're interested aren't my cup of tea

Hiya Nat,

Actually your right - I should have made it clear the topics in my original post were for books I like the most, but looking around my crowded shelves - there's an assortment of bl**dy well everything under the sun.

So ANY kinds of suggestions are welcome, as I really dont limit myself.

When you're stuck on an island - you read anything which happens to fall your way.

I did read 1984 some years back and enjoyed it immensely.

Tax - have ordered today online your suggestion.  Should be delivered in a month or 2, all going well.

Keep the suggestions, any suggestions, coming - thanks!

[sbk]

you don't mention where you are from but i know of a great way to get alot of books cheap, I go back to the US every year, hit up library sales, flea markets, family's bookshelves and send it all back by M bag, basically a large mail bag, printed matter surface rate. Min. about 15 lbs, max something like 60 lbs. it usually costs about $1/1lb. alternatively, if you need some interesting books now, check out daedalus books. they have an amazing selection of books at discount prices and a very fair shipping policy, browse their website and I am sure you will find something you like.

[sbk]

OOPS!! sorry, wrong link: try this one insteaddaedalus books

[taxexile]

if you are interested in reading about travels around burma,india,cambodia,laos,vietnam in the 50's and 60's then try

NORMAN LEWIS.......GOLDEN EARTH  and

                           DRAGON APPARENT.

www.etext.org/zines/critique/article/normanlewis.html

will tell you more about this writers wonderful books.

his observations and writing style cannot be bettered (in my opinion).

you feel that you are right by his side as he travels.

makes theroux look like an amateur,and i'm a fan of theroux also.

[chonabot]

Despite having a growing reputation as a smart-arse , I have a serious side , and love reading travel based novels . heres a few from my shelf..

A Woman of Bangkok - Jack Reynolds

Jack Reynolds (among the 10 best Novels written about Asia , 1956 , fantastic witty story , gives an insight to Thailand in the 50's from a westerners viewpoint)

Jasmine Nights - Sp Somtow , novel about growing up in Thailand , by a Thai middle class writer.

Letters from Thailand - Botan , Translated by Susan Fulop ,

about a Chinese guy moving to Thailand in 1948 , the Thai version is used in the Thai education systen still  today , a very good entertaining read.

Video Night in Kathmandu - Pico Iyer - excellent Travel book.

have hundreds more , literaly , but these are a few that stand out about Thailand and Asia.

Enjoy!

[SeaVisionBurma]

Chonabot - who on earth would ever accuse you of being a smart-arse?

I just took you for a Member who is, err, Engorged?  

Good suggestions by all, keep 'em coming, I'm taking many notes as I never take advice half-heartedly.

Who's the publisher for Video Night in Kathmandu?

[tutsiwarrior]

SV Burma...I hear you and advise that in the absence of good reading material I find myself back on the free porno websites. You obviously have given thought to materials but they are hard to come by even in a good, ie., non-Asian bookstore. I would just say read online synopses by booksellers. SE Asian history and politics are not casual reading and there is no grey area between popular material and the academic. The thumbnail descriptions in the travel guides are OK and maybe have annotation to direct the reader to further material...but not likely.

If I was in my history student mode I could give a lot of good references but the reading would put you to sleep...I presume that you want to be entertained and not consider the student's perpective. Also, small press monographs are outrageously expensive and only available by catalog from the publisher.

Best to make do with the travel guide stuff available to find out about SE Asia...take a broad generalization and condense it to fit what you have seen...either that or write your own...

all the best

[chonabot]

SV , the publisher of Video nights in Kathmandu is Black Swan

ISBN 0-552-99364-6

Other Decent books by this publisher include

Falling off the map - Pico Iyer

The Cider House Rules - John Irving

In search of the Big Bang - John Gribben

Jogging Round Majorca - Gordon West

Enjoy

[phazey]

SVB ( Can't i call you plain old Jeff???)

get all the Terry Pratchett Discworld series you can eat, browse amazon, you know the delivery address.

They'd be good for the trips to NBay - i reckon you'd do one per trip, and have a smile the rest of the stay.....

./P

[SeaVisionBurma]

Bumped because I was annoyed that I got sucked into posting in the Python Troll thread over in Farang Pub....

More book suggestions please to keep me more occupied....

[Begs]

The Confederacy of Dunces.

John Kennedy Toole

[sbk]

'Angry White Pyjamas' by robert twigger is an interesting story about a guy joining an aikido school in tokyo. not strictly SE Asian but quite interesting nonetheless.

[cw2]

Some good books I read this summer:

Bangkok 8

Son of the Circus (Irving)

Empire Falls, Straight Man - Russo

The sign of the  Fingerpost

Soul Mountain, Gao Xingjian

Good luck.

[tutsiwarrior]

I would also say look at any VS Naipul you can find... he does some travel books but for Africa and South America and not SE Asia. His fiction is quite nice...always takes the view of the outsider in a changing post colonial world...very easy to extrapolate to the contemporary lonely falang observer...

He also got the Nobel for Lit a couple of years ago...worth a read.

[Indo-Siam]

My two satang (or is it two books?):

All The Trouble in the World  by  P.J.O'Rourke

The Ends of the Earth by Robert D. Kaplan

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh

Good luck!

Steve

Indo-Siam

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?

[ericsshop]

The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli

The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

H. W. Brands

The Book of Five Rings

Miyamoto Musashi

An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy

Robert Dallek

The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II

Fernand Braudel

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory

William Manchester

American Sphinx

Joseph J. Ellis

Batavia's Graveyard

Mike Dash

TR The Last Romantic

H.W. Brands

[foolwholaughsatdeath]

well looks like you have a lot of options here already SVB..

Instead of offering more selections, I will just second other posters oppinions in saying that books by VS Naipal are excellent.  The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh also very powerful, and Confederacy of Dunces is funny and throughly amusing.  

For Thai authors I would suggest any of Botan's works, such as Letters from Thailand, as top notch.

ps. sorry for proliferation of the this avatar, but i can't seem to get tired of those fun bags    

[chonabot]

Funbags AND Botan , the man has class , dis is klaar!